Watch Me Stand
by merlin magic
Summary: They knew everything would change when the war was over. They had no idea. Something is wrong with Harry and when some unexpected guests show up at the Weasley Boarding House, their lives will never be the same. Dark!
1. Help Me See

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 1 – Help Me See

Hemione sat at the window seat of the living room in The Weasley Boarding House. Since all of Ms. Weasley's children had moved out, she had gotten lonely especially since Mr. Wealey had died in the war. She had decided to open a boarding house. It was a nice house, well placed on the far edge of a mixed wizard and muggle community. Hermione and some order members, as well as a few of the DA were staying there.

She stared through the rain soaked window. Lightning light up the sky, illuminating the yard in front of the house. A silluete could be made out of the darkness. A single tear slid down Hemione's cheek as she watched the figure standing, staring at the sky, his eyes closed. She cried for Harry.

Dumbledore had always said that there were things worse than death. He was right. After the battle that ended the war, something happened to Harry. No one was quite sure what. Now he was just a shell. He didn't talk anymore. Harry was simply existing. Not really living.

Hemione sat, tears dripping down her face. He would never know how much she cared for him. Ginny, she shuddered at the thought of her. Harry had been s good to her and the moment that everyone realized that something was wrong with Harry; she had run way to _bloody America._ And stupid Ron had run with her, leaving Hermione. They had practically abandoned them. Hermione got furious just thinking about it. She alone had stayed by Harry's side. She was the one to who watched him at night. She alone knew how he would lay in bed some nights, staring at the ceiling. She alone watched him on those nights when the nightmares would claim him. She watched as he screamed and clawed at the sheets. His screams on those nights were bone chilling.

Her attention returning to the present, she noticed that Harry had turned he was looking directly at her. His eyes were captivating. Still as green as ever, there was something more. They both swirled with emotion and yet were void of all feeling. They showed all of his vulnerability, weakness and longing, for what? Hermione wasn't sure. Yet, something seemed to be hidden. A shield, placed to keep the rest of the world out as if there was something he was hiding form everyone. Some thing he didn't want them to know. The look in his eyes was impossible to describe.

Remus Lupin and Neville Longbottom stood in the doorway to the living room. They watched Hormone as she huddled in the window seat. Her sobs could be heard down the hall.

" I hate watching her like this," Neville whispered to Lupin.

" I'll try talking to her," Lupin walked through the door.

As he entered the room, Neville watched intently.

"Hermione?" Lupin asked tentatively.

Hermione ignored him. She sat up and stared out of the window, wiping away her tears.

"You should really come to dinner with the rest of us," Lupin sat, placing himself on the window seat beside her.

She continued to stare at Harry in the rain. His face was turned upward and arms were held aloft.

"Death really isn't the worst thing," Hermione whispered, her voice rough from lack of use.

Lupin pulled her into a tight hug. Hermione stiffened; No one had hugged her like this since the war. The last time she had been hugged like this was right before the final battle. The famous trio has rounded up the deatheaters into a single room. The group was preparing to bust through the door when Harry, out of nowhere, wrapped his arms around both Ron and Hermione. It was then that he uttered his last words anyone would ever hear him say.

"I love you both," he said, "I will miss you both." Hermione had not had time to think about what was uttered in those few moments. They then rushed into the room, the final battle beginning. In hindsight, Harry had probably known what was about to happen to him.

Thinking about this caused her to lose all sense of composure. Sobbing, she reached her arms around Lupin, gripping him tightly. He ran his hand comforting over her back. It felt strange to her, to be this close to a person. Everyone had decided to leave her alone after the war. They thought it better to let her come to terms with things herself. They were wrong. She needed someone to hold her like this. She had all but forgotten this feeling. The two of them sat like this for some time. Her cries finally subsided and her breathing returned to normal.

"Remember what Dumbledore said," Remus whispered softly to her," We mustn't forget to live."

"So?" Neville looked at Lupin, expectantly.

"Hopefully she will come to dinner with the rest of us," Lupin said, putting his hand on the boy's, no, man's shoulder. Neville had grown up during the war. Gone was the bumbling boy who could barely hold a wand. In his place stood a young man of twenty. He still was the same old Neville. He had retained his forgetfulness and horrid inferiority complex, but he had honed his magical ability and had become a force to be reckoned with.

Neville pulled Lupin into a quick hug. It had been difficult for everyone. First of all, seeing Harry so lost was hard enough but with the added difficulty of Hermione's reaction to the entire situation. It had forced all of the people living in the boarding house to become much closer to each other in order to take care of everyone. They had become a very close-knit group and weren't about to let anything break them apart.

Disclaimer- I'm not Jo. Sorry to disappoint you. If you recognize anything, It's not mine.

PLEASE REVIEW- I want to get better. Please tell me how.


	2. All I Ask

It had been two weeks since Hermione had started coming to dinner

Sorry this is so late. I'll let you get to the story.

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 2 – All I Ask

It had been two weeks since Hermione had started coming to dinner. Just her simple presence at the table had raised the moral of the whole household. Even Harry seemed to feel the difference. He wandered off less. He ate more willingly. He was even sleeping though the night. No nightmares… none!

Now, allow me to clue you in on one of the traditions of the Weasely Boarding House. Every night, after dinner, a few of the younger generation (namely: Hermione, Neville, and Luna, and on occasion they would be joined by Seamus.) Anyway, they would meet to talk in one of the bedrooms. They would talk about anything and everything; philosophy, the war, ect. On this particular evening the conversation turned to old school friends.

" I remember that evening," Seamus laughed, "the look on Professor Flitwick's face was simply priceless!"

Hermione chuckled while Neville gave in completely to rolls of laughter. They remembered that night too. Luna was too busy to listen; she was occupied counting the tiles in the adjacent bathroom. Hermonie had told her that if she just counted a row of horizontal tiles and a row of vertical tiles and multiplied, she would get the correct number. But Luna insisted on counting ever-single one. She had lost count four times now. Luna claimed that if she new the number of tiles, she would be able to tell if there were any snorquills living in the bathroom.

"I still feel bad for Draco," Hermione sobered, "Do we know what happened to him, after, you know…"

Neville thought about it, " No, I don't think we ever heard from him,"

The whole room sat in silence for a minute. Luna walked into the room.

"1628."

Everyone looked up at Luna.

"What?" Seamus asked.

"1628 tiles," Luna said seriously, "There are no snorquills."

CRACK! George Weasley apperated into the small bedroom.

"Hello!" He smiled brightly. The group waved. They were used to the twins popping in suddenly at all ours to get opinions on a new product or test a new trick. Fred would not be long to follow.

CRACK! Sure enough, Fred apperated into the room.

"We have an idea for a new product…" George started, gesturing dramatically at Fred to finish.

"Sparkling Bubblegum!" Fred finished.

"Sounds painful," Neville expressed.

"Good point," Fred and George said simultaneously. They turned to apperate out, but Hermione stopped them.

"What!" she said grabbing Fred's shoulder, "Stay visit, we hardly ever see you anymore."

The twins looked at each other, nodded and leapt on to the bed, talking its occupants. Neville wrestled Fed to the ground while Seamus was left defenseless against George's tickle attacks. The shouts of laughter could be heard down the hall. These antics continued until Lupin and Tonks appeared at the door.

"Do you relies that it is well past midnight," Lupin looked horrid, as tough he had just woken up, which he probably had.

Tonks, holding his hand, reprimanded, "Some people are trying to sleeping."

"Sleep!" Seamus practically shouted, flabbergasted, "You weren't sleeping. We could hear you all the way down here and that was _not_ sleeping."

"Well," Tonks retorted, without missing a beat, "That takes a lot out of a person." Everyone laughed, except for Lupin, who only stood there, blushing madly.

It took a while for everyone to finally calm down.

"Fine," we'll be quiet, if…" She was interrupted before she could finish.

A knock at the door cast a normally noisy house into complete silence. No one ever visited that late; hardly anyone ever visited at all. The group could hear Ms.Weasley move to answer the door. They all shifted toward the door. Lupin and Tonks moved into the hall, heading towards the front door. The house held its breath as Ms.Weasley creaked open the door. Ms.Weasley gasped loudly.

"Molly!" Lupin cried out, "What is it?"

"Hermione!" She called "I need you to come here."

Hermione ran through the hall, pushing past Lupin and Tonks. She burst out into the foyer. Lupin and Tonks were right up with her. Neville, Seamus, Fred and George quickly followed. Luna slowly trailed behind. Everyone froze when they saw who was in the door.

A boy and girl stood in the doorway. Both were in horrible condition. Blood covered them and soaked through their cloths, if they could be called cloths. The wounds seemed to be old and covered in dirt. The boy was unconscious and slumped against the girl. The girl herself was close to unconsciousness. Their hair was matted with filth, but even with the all of the blood and dirt the boy was still recognizable. The boy was Draco Malfoy.

"Please help us," The girl whispered before giving in to the darkness.

Oo0oO

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	3. Do You Care

"Draco Malfoy

Someone reviewed! Thank you! Here is the next chapter…

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 3 – All At Once

"Draco Malfoy!" Bill Weasley shouted. He and Lee Jordan had exited their room right after Luna. They shared a room in order to have more room in the rest of the house.

"What is he doing here?" Lee asked.

"He is obviously hurt," Tonks said pointing to the collapsed bodies on the front steps, " Both of them."

Bill spoke, "Why should we care?"

"They probably came in search of Haven," Ms.Weasley knelt to examine the two, " We can't deny them that courtesy."

"Why?" Lupin moved forward, " All he has ever been is trouble."

"But he is badly hurt!" Neville reasoned, shocked that Lupin was not concerned for the poor young people. He of all people should understand their predicament. He was letting Malfoy's past get in the way of what was really important. It was similar to the way people judged werewolves. They took the actions of a few werewolves and used that to judge the rest.

"I don't care what you pig-headed imbeciles say," Seamus barked, " They should stay. At least until they are healed. We can't leave them out there in this condition."

"It doesn't matter what you think," Neville stepped up, "Come on Seamus. I'm moving them to my room. Seamus, You won't mind if I move in to your room for a while."

"Not at all," Seamus enunciated each syllable. Sniffing at the others, he moved to help Neville.

Oo0oO

Hermione watched as Seamus and Neville lifted the comatose bodies out of the hall and into Neville's room. Ms.Weasley walked closely behind to make sure the boys didn't drop the invalids. She had already started casting diagnostic spells. Tonks shuffled after them to help them get situated, but she didn't leave until she had a quick exchange with Lupin. All Hermione could hear from that conversation were the final words, uttered by Tonks, "We'll talk later." Everyone else left silently after them going to their own rooms.

Hermione trembled as Malfoy's head fell back in Seamus's arms. Everything seemed to slow down. She did not move until the whole group had made it out of the room. Hermione fell to the ground, shivering. Hugging herself, she began to rock.

"What is wrong?" Luna asked innocently. She had noticed Hermione's behavior and come over.

"It's just…" Hermione started, "I… I can't help… but to remember… that night… When they carried him out of the room…"

"But tonight isn't that night," Luna said confused. Then she, very uncharacteristically, placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder and continued, "Tonight is a new night; and those people need your help."

Hermione looked at Luna, realizing she was right.

Oo0oO

Gently, Neville placed the young woman on the bed. She looked to be about his age. _What had happened to make them like this,_ he wondered.

Shamus place Malfoy on the other bed. He turned to look at Ms.Weasley. She slumped into a chair. The diagnostic spells had left her exhausted.

"How could they go through all of that without dying?" She sighed. Tonks left to get her a glass of water.

"What exactly is wrong?" Neville asked. He knelt next to Ms.Weasley, Placing a hand on her knee.

"It's amazing," she began to list, "They are practically starving to death, broken bones, internal bleeding, bruised organs, thousands of various scars, cuts, scrapes, ect; many of them infected. The girl has a little brain damage, nothing to big but she may need to relearn a few things, and I believe her right leg is paralyzed. They also have some more injures, but I'd rather not think about _those_."

Shamus looked a little green. Neville couldn't even comprehend the torture these two had gone through. It wasn't possible.

Oo0oO

A few hours later and the invalids were already starting to look better, or at least cleaner. The blood and dirt had been washed and any wounds that needed immediate attention were attended to, but their condition continued to get worse. The two were still unconscious and Malfoy had developed a high fever. Ms.Weasley said it was a good thing because it meant that his body was still able to fight. Hermione wasn't so sure.

She sat in a chair next to his bed. Exchanging the cool cloth on Malfoy's head for a new, cooler one, Hermione observed him in his fevered state. He had not changed much since they had brought him in. At one point he had taken to mumbling incoherently, but that had passed. Hermione pressed lightly on the cloth, considering going to get someone to take over for her, when something changed.

Malfoy slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the light (even though there was only a fire and a few candles to light the room). Hermione gasped lightly. His left eye was ruined. The eye had a large M carved into it. It was surprising he still had the eye. The sight was disgusting. He seemed oblivious to it though.

When his eyes focused on Hermione, he screamed. Malfoy seemed to become instantly alert. The boy moved very fast for someone who had just been comatose. He dove across the room. Hermione barely had time to register what had just happened, let alone react to the situation. She looked over at him. Malfoy was cowering in a corner.

Walking over to him slowly, she heard him softly, almost chanting: repeating, "I'm sorry. I apologize. It wouldn't happen again. I swear. I'm sorry…"

Oo0oO

I have the next chapter almost written. I won't post it until I have… 5 reviews. I will update no sooner. It only takes 30 seconds of your time. So please review so I can get better and you can read better stories. I love constructive criticism.


	4. What to Do

Hermione didn't know what to do

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 4 – What To Do

Hermione didn't know what to do. She had very little experience in these situations. No, that wasn't right. After the war, the aftershock had sent many people into hysterics. They had also found many people that had been held captive by Deatheaters and were psychologically damaged. She had just never been any good with handling them. She reached her handout to comfort Malfoy, but then thought better of it. In his state any physical contact could be taken as a threat. She stood there, panicking for a minute, until she got an idea.

"Draco," she said, soothingly. She had no idea if this would work, "Draco, It's okay. I won't hurt you."

It didn't seem to be working. He looked like a little baby, sitting there in the corner, rocking and crying. Hermione racked her brain for new ideas. _What… baby…_

Hermione started to sing, or at least tried to sing, a lullaby. She didn't really know the words and wasn't the best singer. But the singing still worked. Malfoy's hysterics began to subside. Not long after, he began to breathe normally. Hermione decided that it was safe to approach him.

She walked up to him slowly, trying to appear non-threatening. Draco didn't move; he continued to rock slowly, curled up in a small ball. She reached her hand out and touched Draco. He flinched away. She tried again. This time, Draco scooted far out of Hermione's reach. She resolved to give up. She still needed to inform Ms. Weasley of the recent developments.

Oo0oO

"What should we do?" Hermione had found Ms.Weasley in the kitchen. She had promptly informed the woman of the situation and Ms.Weasley wanted to check it out for herself.

"I don't know if there is anything we _can_ do yet," Ms.Weasley was leaning over Malfoy with a concerned look on her face. She had seen these types of cases before, but never this bad, "He has to trust us before we can help him. There is nothing else I can do unless I have his consent."

"So, we are supposed to make a Malfoy trust us?" Hermione said, incredulously.

"Yes," was Ms.Weasly's curt reply, "And the first thing you can do is get some food for him. That boy is a walking corpse."

Hermione simply nodded obediently and left the room. As she left, she saw Ms. Weasley trying unsuccessfully to touch Malfoy. It was like watching a scared chihuahua that jumps at every little noise. It would have been funny if it weren't so sad.

Oo0oO

Hermione stood, staring at the pantry. What is the world was she supposed to get him? What would he want to eat? It needed to be non-threatening… Non-threatening… What food is non-threatening? Could a food be non-threatening? The only thing she could think of was a sandwich. Was a sandwich threatening? It didn't matter. Malfoy was getting a sandwich. It was all Hermione could really make anyhow. Now, the question was: what kind of sandwich? _What do we have?_ She thought. Hermione shifted through the contents of the pantry. They had cheese, turkey, ham, tuna, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, three types of bread… She grabbed a couple of different foods. Hermione flew together a ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes. She had been on the fence about the tomatoes (blood), until she realized how silly she was being and tossed them on. She also poured him a cup of milk (the boy could use the calcium) and put a cookie on the plate too. After what he had apparently been through, Malfoy deserved it. _It felt really weird to think that_, she mused. She arranged them all on a tray. _All ready_, Hermione smiled.

Oo0oO

When Lupin came home from work (he was working at the ministry as a representitive for the werewolves) Tonks was waiting for him. She was sitting on the bed when he came in. He could tell she was perturbed. Lupin had to be careful when she was in this mood. Tonks was the kind of person that you avoided getting mad at all costs. When she was mad, on one was immune to her wrath. Lupin struggled to think of what he had done to get her this irate. He came up blank. Was it something he said? Lupin couldn't think of anything. What should he do? _The direct approach would be best_, he thought.

"What is wrong, Dora?" Lupin asked kindly.

"Don't take that tone with me! You know perfectly well what you did!" She said accusatorily. " And don't call me Dora!"

"No, honey, I don't," Lupin sat down next to her, reaching his arm around her. Tonks stood up abruptly and spun around to face him.

"Why did you want to get rid of Malfoy?" she shouted.

"What?" Lupin was genuinely confused.

"UGH!" She threw her hands up in the air. Seizing a blanket, she grabbed Lupin's hands. He complied easily. Tonks then bustled him out the door and into the hall. Roughly, she handed him the blanket, "You're sleeping on the couch," she said and slammed the door.

Lupin stood in the hallway for a full minute, stunned. He had no idea how to react. He could not, for the life of him, figure out what was wrong with Tonks. What had he done to upset her? _Maybe she is PMSing_ he rationalized. Shifting the blanket in his grasp, he glanced, unseeing, down the long hall towards the den. _I guess I'm sleeping on the couch._

Oo0oO

Hermione paused for a minute to re-adjust the tray she was carrying. On some days this hall could feel like it went on forever. It was a good thing she had put down the tray because at that very moment the door not two meters away slammed open. She watched as Lupin came reeling out of the door holding a blanket.

"You're sleeping on the couch," she heard Tonks voice sternly say.

Hermione moved back a step as the door slammed shut. When she saw that Lupin wasn't moving, she picked up her tray. Her plan was to pass him and get to the guest room before he became aware of her presence. That plan was not to come to fruition. Hermione straightened up just as Lupin looked down the hall. Her movement caused him to snap out of his daze.

"Oh," He said surprised, " I didn't see that you were standing there." Realizing what she was carrying, he dropped his blanket "Let me take that for you. It must be heavy."

Hermione let him take the tray with a quiet thank you. She pointed to where she was going and they headed down the hall in companionable silence. It was easy to see how the war had affected everyone. When Hermione used to talk all the time to whoever would listen, she now stayed quiet, only talking when she really had something to say.

"What are we supposed to be doing here?" she whispered, almost incoherently.

"What?" Lupin asked, as much out of the fact that he could not hear what she said as the fact that what little he heard did not make sense.

" I feel that there is a reason they came _here_. I'm not saying they came here consciously. You know I'm one to believe in fate… but… there is no other explanation. I mean… look at the odd."

"I don't know."

At this point, the pair had reached their destination, the room where Malfoy and the girl resided. Lupin passed the tray back to Hermione. She arranged it comfortably on her shoulder. She walked the last few steps toward the door. Reaching for the doorknob, she paused. She turned to look at Lupin.

"Thank you," She said. She did not turn around. The two stood like this, facing each other. Neither moved. Neither wanted to leave the comfort of the other's company. Hermione was the first one to move. She turned back to the door.

"Wait!" Lupin said quickly, taking a step forward. Hermione turned around, "Good luck," she gave him a confused look, "I hope you can find the reason… the reason they are here."

"So do I."

Oo0oO

Sorry this is so late, maybe if I had more reviews, I would update sooner… Just a suggestion…


	5. Where Are We

After creaking the door open, Hermione peaked her head into the room

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 5 – Where Are We

After creaking the door open, Hermione peaked her head into the room. Malfoy had moved. He now sat next to the girl's bed, head lying next to her hand, buried in the crook of his own arm. As Hermione slipped into the room, one of the floorboards moaned under her weight. Malfoy lifted his head slowly off the bed.

"Granger," He looked confused, "Where are we?"

Hermione had expected him to still be in his huddled corner. She was unprepared for these developments.

"I brought food," It was the only thing she could think to say.

Malfoy eyed Hermione suspiciously as she slowly placed the food on the floor. He moved forward gradually. He was checking to make sure that she going to yank it away at the last second. When he finally realized the she wasn't going to take the food back, he darted to grab the sandwich and cookie. He was halfway back to the bed when he seemed to change his mind about the milk. He doubled back to get it and returned to his spot beside the girl's bed faster than Hermione would have thought possible for a man in his condition. Malfoy's eyes flickered between Hermione and the girl on the bed. He was ready to protect the girl from her if need be. They stayed in these positions for a good while, chests moving up and down. Hermione was worried that any movement could be considered hostile. After a little, Draco concluded that Hermione wasn't going to hurt the girl, thus she was not worth the energy of watching. He refocused all of his energy in watching the girl.

Hermione slipped out of the door and headed to her room. This was too much excitement for her. Well, excitement wasn't exactly the right word, but it was the best word she could think of. She let out a breath she forgot she was holding. If she got this much excitement everyday, she would go prematurely gray.

Oo0oO

"Hey Luna," Hermione opened the door to the bedroom she shared with the blonde girl, "Today has been mad!"

Luna looked up from her book. She was sprawled across her bed, head hanging off the side. When Hermione entered, she moved up so that she was fully seated on the bed.

"Did you hear what happened?" She asked, falling onto the bed across from Luna's with a thud.

"No, What?" She inquired lightly, marking her place in her book and placing it on the nightstand.

"Malfoy woke up."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I don't know what happened to those two, but Draco is seriously psychologically damaged."

As she said this, Harry moved into the room. Neither girl really took note of him. It was something one got used to, Harry's silent wonderings. It was useless to acknowledge him. He never looked any different. Always the same empty expression, except when he was having his nightmares. At those times… One does not want to think about what he is dreaming.

"You didn't see the way he acting. He was a child in there, an abused puppy, I don't even know… He needs help."

"What are you going to do?" Luna queried.

"Honestly," Hermione replied, "I just want to go sleep. We will have plenty of time to think about it in the morning. I don't want to think about this anymore."

Hermione rolled into the covers as Luna said a spell to turn out the lights. Harry moved to a cot that had been set up in the corner of the room. He had a tendency to sleep in Hermione's room because she would always look after him when he had is nightmares. Ms. Weasly had a cot moved into the room for Harry to sleep on. He lay down with his eye open and hands folded. Harry only slept when his body was s tired it shut itself of. Usually, once his body reached that point, his mind was to tired to give him the nightmares, but not always.

Oo0oO

Molly Weasly could not sleep. Her mind would not shut off. She was consumed with worry about Draco and the girl. Sometimes, Arthur told her she was too caring for her own good. She was inclined to agree. Why else would she let a Deatheater stay at her house? And nurse him back to health to boot? She needed some tea.

She moved quietly to the kitchen. She quietly reached into the pantry to get some tealeaves when she accentually knocked over the entire box. She tried to catch to in its descent but only managed to knock a few more blocks off of the shelves. Needless to say, this made a great noise, which roused Lupin from his restless sleep on the couch in the living room. He stumbled to the kitchen to find Ms. Weasly on her knees trying to clean up her mess as quietly as possible.

"Molly?" He asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Remus? What are you doing out here? Did Tonks kick you out again?"

He simply nodded and knelt to help her pick up the remaining boxes. "What are you doing out here at this hour?"

"I was getting some tea. How about I make you some and we can talk, how does that sound?"

"That sounds good."

Oo0oO

"I heard about Draco." Lupin started, taking a sip of his tea.

"Did Hermione tell you?"

"Not exactly, but I put two and two together. How is he?"

"I can't say for sure. There is definitely some psychological damage, but it is too early to tell how bad it is. The damage could have been intensified by waking up in a strange environment. He could even be damaged to the point where he may never be able to function in normal society again."

"Good, deserves it, little twat." Ms. Wealsy sputtered on her tea at Lupin's language.

"Out of curiosity, what has the boy ever done to you?" She asked slowly. She didn't want to anger him further.

"He is one of them," Lupin glared at his tea, "It is their fault. They took him away."

Lupin would talk like this sometimes. They weren't sure weather he was talking about Harry or Sirius or even James. It could be any male really. If he did start to talk like this, they had learned it was best to distract him. Left alone, he could dwell for hours.

Taking another sip of her tea, she asked, "What happened with you and Tonks?"

He groaned. "This is the eighth time she has kicked me out this month and I have no idea why she did it this time. At least the other seven times she kicked me out, I had an inkling of an idea as to why she was doing it." Lupin said staring at his cup. He was using both hands to swirl the tealeaves around in circles in his cup.

"I really don't know what to tell you, Remus. Arthur and I used to fight all the time but not nearly as frequently or as intensely as you two do. I think the two of you need to talk and find out what the problem is, what has gone wrong…Do you have any idea?"

"Truthfully, I can't remember why I got together with her in the first place."

"That could be your problem. Talk with Tonks and try to remember. Ti has been really nice talking with you, but I am getting tired and I think I shall go to bed. Good night!"

Ms. Weasly got out of her chair, leaving Lupin to his tea and thoughts.

Oo0oO

Sorry it took me so long to update. I cannot apologize enough. I gave up fan fiction for Lent. I'm sorry! If you review, I won't wait another 40 days to update. You can even flame me if you want to. I'm desperate for reviews! Please!! I'm already working on the next chapter! Anything?..


	6. Shatter the Ice

Watch Me Stand

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 6 – Shatter the Ice

Hermione would have liked to stay and help around the boarding house. Lord knows Ms. Weasley could use a hand especially with the arrivals of the two unexpected guests. But life doesn't always work out the way one would like. She had a job at Lucy's Diner she needed to get to. And it was important for her to be there on time, because she was already on probation for an unfortunate incident involving a cow and a man from Singapore.

Hermione grabbed a roll off of the platter Ms. Weasley was holding as she twisted to put her sweater on.

"Off to work?" Ms. Weasley asked as she placed the platter on the dinner table. All Hermione could manage was a nod as he mouth was otherwise occupied eating her breakfast. Ms. Weasley smiled and Hermione apperated out of the room with a pop.

"Was that Hermione who just left?" Ms. Weasley turned around to see Seamus looking sharp in a muggle style suit and briefcase. He worked as an intern for the ministry. He was studying to be a lawyer. It was a very lucrative career. Everyone seemed to be pointing fingers in reference as to who had been a Deatheater. It was a similar mentality as the Salem Witch Trials, but it meant that Seamus was never short of work.

"Yes," Ms. Weasley moved to fix his tie, "Are you still working on the same case?"

He sighed, "Yes, and it is getting ridiculous. There is no way Delemza Robins was ever a Deatheater. They just want to accuse anyone."

"Good luck!" Seamus grabbed a roll and apperated away to work.

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"…And your fries," Hermione passed the last of the plates to the customers, "Is there any thing else I can get you?" It had been a long day at the diner and her shift was almost up. She kept glancing up at the clock watching the hands slowly tick away to four. She moved to take orders from the bar. There was only one new customer. She pulled out her notebook.

"Hello, my name is Hermione. How may I… Oh! Tonks!"

"Hey girl!" Tonks smiled, "You ready to go! Remember, you promised me that we were going to go shopping today. Girls day out, remember."

"Ohh, I forgot," She said, "You're going to have to wait until I get off."

"Well how long is that going to be?"

"It should only be like 5 more minutes."

"In that case, I would like a vanilla milkshake, please."

"Coming right up!" Hermione laughed.

When Hermione finally got off, she and Tonks went to several well know clothing stores, tried on hundreds of dresses, bought nothing and managed to annoy a number of store owners. All in all, it was an afternoon well spent. The two finally ended up sipping coffee in a small café at the end of a fairly empty road. After an hour of small talk, Hermione decided to get down to more serious matters.

"What were you and Lupin arguing about last night?"

"Do we really have to talk about this?"

"Yes, we do. What has been up with you two lately?"

"I don't know. We can't seem to get anything right. I mean, I love him but… I love you too, but that doesn't mean I want to marry you. I mean, the sex is great; I'm not going to lie. But that isn't all there is to a relationship…On paper, we'd be perfect, except, there is just no chemistry. The spark is gone. I know that I shouldn't expect it to be there forever, but without it, we are no more than friends. We have nothing to make this last."

"Do you think you will get a divorce?"

Tonks took her time to answer, "Not at this point. I do love him and I don't want to hurt him. I will just see how this turns out."

The two girls sat in silence. It was Tonks who broke the still.

"What are you going to do about Harry? Are you just going to wait for him?"

Hermione froze. No one talked about Harry. It was sort of a taboo subject. Only Tonks and Luna knew about her feelings for him. It was really difficult considering that their relationship could never go anywhere, not with Harry in the state that he was currently in.

"I think I need to move on." She started slowly, "I can't wait around for him forever. And even if he does wake up, I'm not sure I would feel right in a relationship, not after everything that happened."

"It looks like neither of us know exactly what we want." Tonks smiled weakly.

"At least we have a start."

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Luna knocked lightly on the door before entering the room where Malfoy and the girl resided.

"I brought you dinner," she said lightly, holding up a tray with a glass of water and a steaming bowl of soup.

"Oh," Malfoy barely moved. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling.

"It's potato soup. I even put in some cheese for you. It had plenty of carbs to help you bulk up. You really need it. And so does you friend, she is skinner than you are. When she wakes up we can…"

"SHUT UP!" Malfoy interrupted, sitting up, "YOU know NOTHING about what happened to us. You have no right to say anything. You have no idea."

"Maybe you should tell me." Luna said walking to his bed and sitting down, placing the tray of food beside them.

"Maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't." he said turning away, "If I told you, would you understand? Could you understand? Could you understand their reasons? Could you understand my reasons? Would she want me to tell you?" He turned to face her, "It is not just my story to tell. I can't tell you. Not without her."

"But you will tell me?" she asked, "I want to be able to understand. But you have to tell me first."

"Maybe," he said reaching for the tray. Luna stood up satisfied with his answer.

"Wait!" Malfoy said.

Luna turned around.

"Never mind,"

Luna looked at him for a minute and then turned around and left.

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I feel so bad about taking so long to update. I had finals and such to study for, I'm sorry. I am going to try and update more often this summer. My hope is to update within the next two weeks. Every review increases the likelihood of that happening wink wink

And I need couple suggestions and name ideas for the girl. I want your input as to where this story is going! Couple suggestions espesally!

PLEASE REVIEW!!


	7. For You, My Beautiful

Watch Me Stand

Watch Me Stand

Ch. 7 – For You, My Beautiful

They had been at the boarding house for a week now. The girl was still asleep. If she didn't wake up soon, she would surely starve to death. Magic can only sustain you for so long. No one knew what to refer to her as. Draco never would talk about her. So everyone just settled with calling her the Girl. They didn't know why she didn't wake up. Both she and Draco were pretty much fully healed, at least physically. There was no telling about her psychological state.

Speaking of Draco, he was going well, all things considered. He only really talked to Luna, to the point where nobody else got anymore that 2 word answers. He still took his meals in his room. And it was starting to annoy Ms. Weasley.

"It is getting to be to much trouble to feed him in his room, She said, throwing a bowl of spaghetti on a tray to be taken to him, "Luna, do you think you could convince him to eat with the rest of us?"

"I can see. I can't make him do anything he wouldn't do on his own."

Ms. Weasley shook her head as she watched Luna leave with Draco's dinner. _Well, if anyone could, it would be her._

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Neville was walking down the hall when something caught his eye. Something was going on in Hermione's room. He couldn't help but to sneak a peak. Hermione was sitting in front of her mirror, applying some eyeliner. Her hair had been pulled in what appeared to be an attempt at an updo. He laughed slightly as she struggled with the mascara.

"What are you staring at?" Hermione spun around to glare at him.

"Sorry," He stepped into the room, "Do you want some help with that?" he gestured to her hair.

"Sure," she sighed, "It couldn't get any worse than this."

Neville stepped up to her hair; pulling it out of the mess it was tied in. he watched as it cascaded down her back. He loved curly hair. His mom had curly hair. He picked up a brush and started running it through her hair.

"Where did you learn to do hair?" Hermione asked as she watched how skillfully he handled the mess.

"I used to do my mom's hair when I would visit her. She always loved it and it gave us something to do. Since she could never remember who I was, we couldn't really talk. And, when I did her hair, she didn't look like a patent anymore. I could imagine how she would do her hair if she were there. What she looked like when she dated my dad. How she would have looked everyday of my life. I could pretend my family was normal."

"Aww, Neville, that's so sweet."

"Na. Anyway, What are you getting all dressed up for? I haven't seen you this dressed up for a long time. What's the occasion?"

"Well, there is this ministry banquet. It is in honor of the 3-year anniversary of the end of the war, and they wanted the 'golden trio' to attend. And since I am the only one in a position to be there…"

"I thought you hated these sorts of functions, you never went to any with us before?"

"I felt that it was time for me to get put of the house. And it was an excuse to get dressed up," Hermione smiled.

"That's good. I love it when you get dressed up. And there, done."

Hermione looked at her hair. It was pulled back in a tight bun, but her fringe hung out, framing her face. The bun itself was simple with two small-jeweled pins as embellishment.

"Neville! It looks beautiful!" she said, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"No," He said coming into the view of the mirror, "You're the beautiful one. The hair just helps everyone else see it."

Hermione jumped out of the chair and grabbed Neville in a tight hug. He tightened, caught by surprise at the sudden embrace.

"Oh! I'm late!" Hermione pulled away from Neville and ran out the bedroom door, grabbing her purse on the way. Neville was left alone in the room, blushing madly.

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"Draco?" Luna pushed the door open.

"Yes?" Malfoy rolled over in his bed to face her.

"I have your dinner here, spaghetti."

"Would you share it with me?"

Luna moved to sit on the end of Malfoy's bed. He sat up, making room for her.

"Ms. Weasley would like you to eat the rest of us." Malfoy looked up from his bowl.

"I'm… I'm … I'm not ready for that." He shook slightly.

"Would you try?"

"I… I don't know. All those people…" Malfoy pulled his hands up to his head.

Luna put her hand on his shoulder.

"For me?"

Malfoy looked at her for a minute.

"For you? I'd try."

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I know this is short, but I wanted to get this out sooner, but I had writers block and no one reviewed. Please! I beg of you! Let me know that someone is reading this. Does anyone out there want me to continue this? I'll even let you have your input. Anything you think should happen, tell me. If it works and I could fit it in, I will.

Please Review!

cries


	8. You Understand, Maybe?

Some people have reviewed saying that they are confused and there is too much going on

Some people have reviewed saying that they are confused and there is too much going on. I am going to recap everything and all of the characters to watch and plotlines. If you find this helpful please tell me and I will try to include it more in the future. Or tell me how I can improve it.

The story so far: Harry is in a zombie-like and has been that way since the war. Hermione's crush on him has made it difficult for her to move on, but is Neville helping her see the light? When Draco Malfoy and a strange girl show up at Ms. Weasley's boarding house, they are force to take them in. Malfoy is recovering quickly with help from Luna, but the girl remains unconscious. Lupin and Tonks are having marital problems but are ignoring them; after all, if you ignore it, it will go away, right?

Also important to note: Seamus works at the ministry.

Does that help? Anyway, on with the story.

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The dinner table was set; they were having chicken pasta. Everyone was seated. They were waiting for Ms. Weasley to bring out the food. Lee and Bill were seated on one side of the table, talking quietly. Beside them sat Tonks and Lupin, in an awkward silence. Next to them sat Luna, who was staring at her drink. On the other side sat Neville and Hermione who were also chatting. Harry sat next to Hermione. He probably would not eat but Hermione made him attend these dinners. Seamus sat next to them, stirring his glass lazily. Ms. Weasley brought in the food and took the seat at the head of the table. As soon as the food hit the table, all chatter stopped. The feeding frenzy didn't stop until…

"Draco!" Luna said, looking up from her plate. Everyone turned to see Malfoy standing in the door. He wore an oversized gray sweatshirt. His arms were held close to his body, as if he could disappear right there. When he noticed all of the attention on him, he turned and ran.

"Draco!" Luna got up to follow him. The rest of the table sat in confusion. A few moments later, Luna returned with Malfoy in tow.

"Draco would like to join us for dinner." She said more as a statement that anything else. No one really moved for several more minutes as he lead him to the seat beside her. Luna shoveled some food onto Malfoy's plate as he just sat there, and still no one moved. Everyone stayed frozen until Neville finally moved and grabbed a muffin from the basket on the table. The tension slowly faded as the table returned to its talk and food.

"Hello!'

Malfoy looked up shocked to see that someone was actually addressing him. It was Seamus.

"Hello," he quietly replied. Malfoy ducked his head and took a bite of his pasta.

"How are you doing? Do you like it here?" Seamus asked.

"It's good."

"So do you think you'll stay?" He asked nervously.

For some reason, Malfoy blushed. "Maybe."

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I know this is a supershort chapter, but I really wanted to get this out there. I pinky-promise to have the next chapter be a great deal longer. The more reviews the longer and sooner you get it. So, remember…

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I think I got my point across, you?


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